Lived Experiences of Top Academic Achievers

in Terms of Their Study Habits and Lifestyle

Group 1-Derful

Group Members:
Alcantara, Marcus Jave
Dizon, Kurth Andrew
Marco, Ian Daryl
Suarez Marie Therese
Tudas, Earl John

Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics Department

Lasalle College Antipolo

Practical Research 1

Ms. Elyssa Marie Daton

 TABLE OF CONTENTS

I. RESEARCH PROPOSAL

Background of the study ………………………………………………………….……… 2

Objectives ..…………………………………………………………………………………… 3

Statement of the Problem ……………………………………………………….……… 3

Research Questions ..……………………………………………………..………………. 3

Scope & delimitation and Methodology of the study ……………..……………. 3

Significance of the study …………………………………………………….………….. 4

Review of the related literature …………………………………………….…………. 5

References …………………………………………………….………….…………………. 5

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Background of the study

Studying struggles are something that nearly everyone can relate to, and the stress and
pressure that school imposes on its students enhances their ability to face the problems they
face (Rahiem, 2020). However, there are always those students who manage to excel despite the
odds. Hobsons and Hanover (2021) did a survey that found that students face different
problems, especially during the pandemic. Arieta, Gementiza, and Saco (2017) pointed out the
significance of study habits in students' lives. The goal of this study is to find out how high
achievers at different types of educational institutions deal with stress. Students who want to
do better in school and feel better about themselves will find this study helpful.

We usually classify students who consistently perform well academically as high

achievers. They complete the tasks assigned to them and do them well. They're organized and
have good time management, so they submit clean, on-time work. However, high achievers are
not always gifted, though some are. High achievers are frequently motivated by the desire to
receive high grades or even praise. (Bainbridge, 2021). Additional evidence from a study
conducted by Kotinek et al. (2010) and Winston et al. (1984) indicates that students with high
academic skills would be considered gifted, which is what many researchers have done in their
studies. In the present review, “high-achieving students” would be used to refer to students
who perform very well in their studies. “Study Habits of Highly Effective Medical Students,"
done by Abdulrahman, Khalaf, and Abbas in 2021, says that the top ten study habits of highly
effective medical students include the following: good time management; the elimination of
interruptions such as the phone, family, and friends; or anything that disrupts their daily work;
and the utilization of goal-setting to figure out which activities are the most important to them.
It is also important to note that their daily study hours range from three to four hours, and they
exhibit better outcomes than those who study for longer periods of time. Another important
thing to remember is how they help educate their peers by using the Feynman Method, which
also helps them learn more about the topic.

Furthermore, the research conducted by Mahlangu and Fraser concluded that some
students were not convinced that participating in group projects was beneficial to their
academic endeavors or that it was meaningful. This assertion can also be supported by the
findings of the research that Abdulrahman, Khalaf, and Abbas carried out in the year 2021. The
participants also displayed a preference for studying alone, which significantly aided them in
remembering a large amount of information regarding medical topics. They thought that if they
worked hard and were willing to learn, it would be easier for them to adjust. The students can
be divided into two categories: those who choose to and are able to rely solely on themselves,
and those who mainly look for assistance from some other source. This indicates that some

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students may opt to manage their own lives, while others may rely on supportive “ties” to assist
them in coping with the challenges they face during their first year of college. Students should
realize that the power to succeed academically lies within themselves individually; they will not
improve or perform as expected at university, particularly in the first year of their studies there
(Mahlangu and Fraser, 2017).

Objectives
● To determine what differentiates high achievers from other students.
● To determine the ways and methods of the top achievers in how they maintain their
grades.
● To determine the struggles top achievers face and how they solve them.

Statement of the problem

High-achieving students are gifted, and giftedness is an asynchronous development in

which advanced cognitive abilities and heightened intensity combine to create inner
experiences and awareness that are qualitatively different from the norm. Being a high achiever
is very beneficial to a student, but sometimes they may also find themselves academically
underperforming. This poor performance could be because of high expectations, stress, and
other things. These high-achieving students suffer from misunderstandings. Since they have
good credibility and high grades for their age range, people will be expecting a lot from them,
but in reality, they are still developing and young. These high-achievers experience anxiety
because their higher reasoning ability means that they're able to think like a much older child.
Yet they don’t have the experience or knowledge of what to do when a stressful situation
occurs. To learn more about the struggles of high achievers, we have come up with the following
questions:
Research Questions
1. What are the routines top academic students follow to maintain their grades?
2. How do top academic students manage different academic challenges presented to
them?

Scope and Delimitation and Methodology

This study will explore as to why and what are the reasons behind the students'
outstanding academic goals, particularly the lived experiences of the grade 11 top STEM
academic students. We ought to conduct the study not just concentrating on one school but
also other schools throughout the Rizal province. Majority of our participants comprise those
on the honor roll lists, namely: with honors, with high honors and with highest honors. Each of

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which is distinct in terms of interpersonal skills, to say the least. Despite the variety of the
schools, the study will focus more on the students who reside in the province of Rizal,
excluding the other provinces not mentioned. As for its methodology, this qualitative study
aims to use a descriptive survey with open ended questions and interviews to its participants.

This study will be focused on how well the top STEM academic students in grade 11
have established certain study habits and their performance during the first semester of being a
senior high school student. Not only that, but also explore what the challenges are that made
them resort to developing these habits. We plan to decrease as many variables as we can that
can hinder our data gathering, so we ought to conduct the interview via Google forms and an
online interview. We plan on conducting the surveys during students’ free time anywhere
around the second semester of S.Y. 2022-2023.

Significance of the study

This study's main objective is to learn more about the study habits, methods, and
academic performance of the best academic students. This will look into how their study habits
and mindsets affect their academic accomplishment. Also, this study will show how successful
students combine their social and academic lives. because difficulties will inevitably arise for all
students while they are in school. It will examine how students' study behaviors and
perspectives impact their academic success. Another objective of this study is to learn how high
performers at diverse academic institutions manage stress. Students who want to improve their
academic performance and apply these practices to their personal lifestyles will find this study
helpful. Students who will have difficulty learning will benefit from this study. No matter how
intelligent a student is, the techniques we will cover will aid them in some way in the future.
Altering their routines may help them develop the study habits that are perfect for their
learning style. The academic performance of students is a significant aspect of the constellation
of factors that determines the level of success that a student achieves. It has an important effect
on education, the primary reason being that it is a useful tool for determining how well
students are doing in their studies.

The findings of this research will also be helpful to educators and other school
personnel. Educators will have a better understanding of the study habits of their students,
which will allow them to teach in a manner that is more effective for them. They will be able to
determine which of the students require additional assistance. It will be helpful for the
educators to assist the students in coping with the lessons, and they can do this by providing
assistance to the students. As a result, educators will benefit from it; it will help and guide them
in providing high-quality learning opportunities for students. This will not only help to keep

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students engaged in their learning, but it will also provide a safe space for them when they are
going through difficult times, encouraging them to open up and seek help when necessary. The
research will also be advantageous to educators because it will inform them of the study
methods that the vast majority of high achievers practice. As a result, teachers will be better
equipped to assist and encourage average students to adapt these methods so that they do not
struggle as much in their academic pursuits.

RRL

There are pupils who do well in every class and some who don't. There are many things
that affect how well a student does in school, but when Douglas Barton and his team at Elevate
Education set out to find out what the best students did, they found three consistent habits.
Barton says that 50–90% of students say that their IQ is the most important factor in how well
they do in school. His team also discovered 13 additional factors that were more predictive of
academic success than IQ, such as self-discipline and self-motivation. His first piece of advice to
kids is to put an end to IQ concerns.

Students also say that they aren't working hard enough, which is another reason why
they aren't doing as well as they want to. Barton takes issue with that assertion, arguing that it's
important to work hard in the correct ways rather than simply working hard in general. Only a
small percentage of top students are lazy, yet many students who work just as hard as the top
students struggle academically. The reason is that they are working hard at the wrong things.
Even if you work hard at bad study habits, you won't get better results. Instead, you're more
likely to lose interest in school.

According to the same study, one of the biggest differences between top students and
everyone else was that when they studied, they took practice tests. Only a minority of students
do this, but they perform better because they are studying in a way that goes beyond
memorizing material. On the flip side, most students report studying by making notes,
re-reading notes, writing out notes, or cramming. All these ways of studying emphasize rote
memory.

Lastly, (Barton) says when the best students make studying schedules for themselves
they first include things they like to do on their schedule and then work study time after. This
method naturally ensures that students are doing things they like to do every day in addition to
studying, so they don't burn out. These balanced schedules are easier to follow. In contrast,
most students cram their schedules full of study times, intent on doing better, but quickly
abandon the plan when they're unhappy with how little free time they have. According to

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Vences Cyril, another reason why top students continue to excel in school is that they are
attending classes, completing assignments as soon as the teachers give it to them and studying
for exams. In addition, they have their own daily routines and lifestyles that are necessary for
creating balance between academics and extracurricular activities.

References

Bainbridge, C. (2021, May 7). Differences Between Academic High Achievers and Gifted Students.
Verywell Family. Retrieved February 12, 2023, from
https://www.verywellfamily.com/high-achiever-1449168
Bin Abdulrahman, K. A., Khalaf, A. M., Bin Abbas, F. B., & Alanazi, O. T. Study Habits of Highly
Effective Medical Students. (2021, June 8). NCBI. Retrieved February 4, 2023, from
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8197661/
Kelly, R. (2021, February 9). survey reveals students struggling with academics during pandemic.
Campus Technology. Retrieved February 12, 2023, from
https://campustechnology.com/articles/2021/02/09/survey-reveals-students-struggling-with-ac
ademics-during-pandemic.aspx
Mahlangu, T., & Fraser, W. (2017). The academic experiences of Grade 12 top achievers in
maintaining excellence in first-year university programmes. South African Journal of Higher
Education, 31(1), 104-118. https://doi.org/10.20853/31-1-812
Rahiem, M. D. (2020, December 9). Remaining motivated despite the limitations: University
students' learning propensity during the COVID-19 pandemic. NCBI. Retrieved February 12, 2023,
from https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7725050/

Tus, J. (2020, 10 01). The Influence of Study Attitudes and Study Habits on the Academic
Performance of the Student, researchgate.net. Retrieved 02 12, 2023, from
https://www.researchgate.net/publication/344659816_The_Influence_of_Study_Attitudes_and_S
tudy_Habits_on_the_Academic_Performance_of_the_Students

Barton, D. (2016, November 11). Three Things Top Performing Students Know That Their Peers
Miss. KQED. Retrieved February 13, 2023, from
https://www.kqed.org/mindshift/46951/three-things-top-performing-students-know-that-their
-peers-miss

Cyril, V. (2022, August 10). TIME MANAGEMENT AND ACADEMIC ACHIEVEMENT OF HIGHER
SECONDARY STUDENTS. JSCH. Retrieved February 14, 2023, from

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Mohta, P., & Doza, G. (2021, July 9). 4 Common Struggles Of High Performing Students |
GoStudent. GoStudent | GoStudent. Retrieved February 13, 2023, from
https://insights.gostudent.org/en/4-common-struggles-of-high-performing-students